2012 Research Grants Recipients

Robert Block, PhD – $100,000 Grant

Block-photograph-209x300-209x300

University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
General Anesthesia During Human Infancy and Brain Development

Dr. Block aims to evaluate the hypothesis that exposure to general anesthesia and surgery during infancy affects brain and cognitive development as reflected in measures of brain tissue volume and composition and white matter integrity, memory-related regional brain activation, and cognitive test performance.

Adolescents who were exposed to anesthesia during infancy will be compared to unexposed, but otherwise matched, control subjects. Patients will have been exposed to anesthesia during operations that would not normally, in themselves, be associated with subsequent central nervous system problems or risk factors; and both patients and controls will be individuals in whom no such problems or risk factors during infancy can be identied.

Caleb Ing, MD – $100,000 Grant

IngCaleb Ing, MD – $100,000 Grant
Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York
Anesthetic Exposure Duration and Effects on Cognitive and Language Ability

Dr. Ing and colleagues are working to determine the relationship between anesthetic exposure before the age of three and long-term neurocognitive decits using a battery of directly administered neuropsychological assessments. The results of this study will help determine the association between anesthetic exposure and long-term defecit. This will be a critical piece of information that will help parents and physicians weigh the risks and benefits of exposure to anesthesia by delaying certain types of elective surgery.